


running it up hero

by pettigrace



Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Brother-Sister Relationships, Dark Past, Heist, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Liam Dunbar is the Flash, M/M, Murder, References to the Flash, Rescue Missions, Sexual Tension, Villain Character Death, because I absolutely hate myself, idk if I should put the flash in the fandoms bc technically it’s not really the flash you know, not incest you assholes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:37:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pettigrace/pseuds/pettigrace
Summary: When Theo Raeken aka Captain Cold finds himself in trouble, it’s Liam who has to help him out. Or so he thinks.(rewrite of the Flash’s episode “Family of Rogues” with Teen Wolf characters)





	running it up hero

**Author's Note:**

> What do you get when you work on two projects for two different fandoms at the same time and have a mind that keeps writing even when asleep? Right, a mixture of fandoms!  
> So, as I'm currently working on both a Thiam and a ColdFlash fic, you are getting this: a rewrite of one of my favourite Flash episodes, only with Teen Wolf characters! What a mess.
> 
> I've written this in, like, five hours. I hope you enjoy it anyways!
> 
> The title is from Ollie Gabriel's "Running Man".

With everything that had been going on before, Liam can say that he’s more than relieved that Mason finally knows the truth about him. It had been tiresome to come up with lies to tell him when he disappeared and headed straight into danger - not to mention how awful he’d felt about lying to his best friend in general. And now that Mason knows, he’s opted to watch the alarms at STAR sometimes so that the team could get some fresh air.

It’s great to get a time-out; not just for Liam himself but for Scott and Stiles as well. Those guys are practically living in the Labs, always alert in case an emergency happens. Just chilling around at the coffee shop with Stiles like right now is way too rare.

Liam knows that the battle of Stiles vs Sugar has been a long one - he’s heard often enough how Scott and him have fought about it. Stiles’ already prominent hyperactivity is never really helped by the additional energy he puts into his body, but somehow he’s always managed to keep doing it. So the fact that right now he urges the waitress on to put some more whipped cream onto his drink certainly is nothing new to him. Only when the tower of it is so tall that it can barely stay on top of the mug does Stiles grab it and turn around to come back to him. It’s just his luck that while doing so, he almost runs into the next girl.

Liam’s more than glad that they’re already pretty close to his table, because seeing the mixture of horror and surprise written into Stiles’ features alarms him. Sure, the guy barely ever keeps his cool but to cause _such_ a reaction… He’s happy that he can easily listen in.

“Oh God, I’m so so-- _Tara_?” Stiles’ voice slips up, loud and high as he realizes who’s standing in front of him. “Tara Raeken?”

Liam doesn’t see her face, but he can practically hear the smirk in her voice. “Hello, Stiles.”

It’s close to a miracle but Stiles’ eyes grow even bigger than they’d already been. It’s probably because Tara doesn’t sound like she’s just so happened to run into him, but more like she’d been _expecting_ him. And Liam can understand his reaction. Their last encounter with her-- well, with both of the Raekens… it hadn’t gone well. Not to mention the time before when they had kidnapped both Stiles and Scott only so that Stiles would build another gun for Tara; one that fits to her brother’s Cold Gun but is also suited to her personality. And then, when Theo had gotten a taste of just what the two of them were willing to do for one another, he’s almost frozen off Stiles’ hands until Scott had caved in and given up Liam’s real identity.

Theodore Raeken is the most dangerous combination of genius and criminality that Liam has ever encountered - and being the Flash, that’s a high bar to cross. His mind works faster than should be possible and within seconds he’d figured that knowing the name behind the Flash would give him even more possibilities to gain. Long story short, they’d struck a deal - because even with all the bad that comes with Raeken being himself, it also means he’s got a sense of thief’s honour. He’s promised to keep quiet about Liam Dunbar being the Flash if he helped get rid off his criminal record.

And the whole situation didn’t get better when, in a moment of desperation, Liam had needed Raeken’s help. Looking back, he might understand his reasoning for releasing the prisoners that Liam had needed to ship off to a lost island (and phrased like this it _does_ sound cruel, doesn’t it?) but the point stands that he _has_ been betrayed by Captain Cold when he helped them escape altogether.

So yes, randomly running into one of the Raekens isn’t a cause of celebration; especially not since seeing one means the other can’t be far.

“Tara, wha--what are you doing here?”, Stiles stutters. His eyes move frantically between her and Liam and the door as well, and Liam seriously can’t tell whether he’s worried for the next person to come in or if he’s wondering if he can flee or not. Given that he doesn’t have any powers and Tara probably has her Gold Gun hidden somewhere, he can’t really blame him, though.

“Aw, Stiles-y.”, Tara says sweetly. She tilts her head slowly, almost suggestively, and continues, “Maybe I wanted to see you, who knows?”

Liam’s not sure how exactly Stiles pulls _that_ off, but he takes a few steps to the side, making her turn as well. It gives Liam the opportunity to see them both - to see early enough when Tara pulls her gun. Weirdly, though, her outfit - pants, shirt and leather jacket - is so tight that any bulge should be visible; and she looks clear.

He doesn’t know if Stiles has had the chance to see that, but in the next moment _he_ is the one who reach into his pocket.

“You want me to call the Flash? Because listen, I can do that right now. Only one press to that button and he’ll be here in a second,” he announces, holding up his phone. And, in fact, he’s already pulled up the respective contact. “So you best go away now or else you’ll be in trouble— Wait. Do you _want_ me to get him?”

He shoots a look at Liam for just a moment, but he can read it easily. There’s surprise and worry in it, if not even shock.

It makes him frown and look at Tara himself. She looks alright, actually, healthy as ever, but where usually there’d be a smirk or arrogant expression in place - the most startling resemblance between her and her brother - there’s a concerned one now. She’s biting her lip, eyes wide, as she just nods at Stiles.

That’s new.

 

-

 

“ _You_ need _our_ help.” Liam can’t help the scoff that taints his voice - it’s more than ironic that after the stunt they’d pulled the last time, either of the Raekens has the audacity to call up to _him_ and his friends.

They’re back at STAR now. He’d disappeared from Jitters when it became apparent that it was Flash business, acting like he’s an outstander and shouldn’t be pulled into that. It’s only given him the time to get back to the Labs and put on his costume. His mind has been running the whole time, trying to figure out just what could make her look so… so scared.

“Yes,” Tara says. Her voice is so much smaller than usually; normally it would command a room, now it’s barely louder than a whisper. “My brother’s been kidnapped.”

There’s a silence in the room after that. They all stare at her, not sure what to say.

Scott starts talking first, surprisingly faster with processing that than either of the others. And he says exactly what’s been going through Liam’s mind. “You’re telling us your brother, Captain Cold, the man with a plan-- that he got _kidnapped_?”

“That’s what I _said_.”, Tara presses out. She sounds more snippy than Liam’s ever heard her, usually a clear sign for distress, but he’s sure she’s good enough of an actress to play a game. “We were pulling a heist at Eichen yesterday when I suddenly heard a movement behind me-- next thing I know I woke up on the ground, no trace of Theo.”

“Who says _he_ didn’t just knock you out?”, Stiles frowns. “Wanted to keep the cash, make it easy, stuff like that?”

The look Tara sends him at that makes him shut his mouth immediately. It’s a cold, pissed off one - not to mention _scary._  Once Stiles is quiet enough, she whips her head back around to look at Liam. “Remember how Theo saved you from being killed by Douglas or Monroe? You’ll also remember that you owe him a favour - time to make good on that debt, Flash.”

Of course Liam remembers that - though if it hadn’t been for Raeken, they wouldn’t have had the _opportunity_ to try to kill him back then. If he hadn’t decided to _betray_ their deal, then they would’ve stayed locked up. And yes, maybe Raeken had told them off before they could get their hands on him, but now they’re _out there_ , causing trouble elsewhere.

Still… It really doesn’t fit to him to hurt Tara - or to run off if other people have knocked her out.

“Stiles, can you track the Cold Gun?”, he decides finally, not looking away from Tara as he speaks. And the relief written into her face at that tells him enough - even if something was up with her brother, _her_ worry is genuine.

“I-- Well, I didn’t have the time - or resources, anyway, to build in a tracker when I rebuild the gun,” Stiles starts. He walks over to the computer and starts typing. “But it radiates enough extreme cold to leave a thermal signature. Ultraviolet instead of infrared but with a few tinks-- there.”

A map of Beacon appears on the big screen, bright enough to make Tara turn around. There’s a dot blinking rapidly at them.

“That’s where the gun was last used - eight minutes ago at Deaton’s.”, Stiles announces. Then, with a pointed look at Tara, he adds, “Looks like your brother’s not as tied up as you think.”

“I’ll see about that.”, Liam announces. Then he’s already racing off.

 

-

 

Locating someone inside a single building has become one of the easiest tasks for Liam. He can run through every single floor within less than a second, so he’s found Raeken less than a minute after he’s left STAR Labs.

Deaton’s has become more of a warehouse than a company in the last couple years, even if it’s still used as the headquarters. It’s accumulated many things interesting for pharmacists that Deaton and his apprentices still use for brewing up new things. But as nice as that is, it’s usually _not_ what Raeken would go after.

Still, there he is, on the top floor, looking through a cupboard in the light of a torch. His back is turned to Liam, so he can’t tell in what condition he is, but he’s wearing his signature parka - somehow he doubts someone who _really_ kidnapped him would leave him that sign of comfort.

“Raeken!”, he whisper-shouts.

And yes, it definitely is him. He whips around upon hearing his name, not even looking surprised upon seeing him stand there. “Liam.”

“Are you okay?”, Liam wants to know. He _has_ said he’d check up on him, and even if Raeken looks alright right now, there could be something that he can’t see right now.

Raeken shrugs. “Peachy.”, he simply says and turns back around to continue searching for something.

Liam frowns. Sure, Raeken’s normally convinced that he won’t be the first one to attack - out of experience more than anything - but it’s unlike him to just act like he’s not there. Usually there’d be sarcastic comments and taunts in place while he doesn’t let him out of sight.

“Raeken, what are you-- are they making you do this?”, he asks before he can stop himself. It’s probably not the best approach; even in this situation Raeken probably won’t like looking like he’s not in charge. Even if it’s exactly what may be happening.

At his words, Raeken freezes in his movements. Liam can watch him stop flipping through the papers in the cupboard, can see the way he slowly straightens his back and completely tenses. It’s weird to see him like this, because even if every single of Raeken’s movements is calculated, he’s never been this… this _motionless._

Suddenly there’s a sound disturbing the tensed silence between them. An echo of footsteps, multiple ones, through the hallway and coming closer.

Raeken must have known he’s not alone, meaning it’s either his kidnappers or partners coming closer, and that’s the reason that for once, he’s faster than Liam. He’s whipped out his Cold Gun and, before Liam’s even comprehended that, pointed and _shot_ at him. He’s covered in ice from chest to feet before he can react.

Damn.

His eyes widen in horror at the sudden change of power here - he’s _trapped_ by _Theodore Raeken_ and a number of people who are probably working with him (because let’s face it, he looked way too calm to really have been kidnapped) and he won’t be able to do _anything_. His arms are still free, so he could stop bullets heading the way of his upper body but other than that? He’s completely useless.

He’s no other chance but to watch as they enter. Three people, one of them significantly smaller than the others, trotting after one another. Though, _trotting_ ’s the wrong word. They portray confidence in their steps only, which they have to do because their faces are covered by masks. They’re mixture of plague doctor and Friday The 13th and definitely _pretty_ terrifying.

The one walking in front only needs to look at Raeken’s still drawn gun to look up at him. And isn’t it creepy that despite the mask Liam can practically see the grin spread out on their face?

“My, Theo, dear,” they drawl - voice disturbed by something electronic in the mask but Liam’s pretty sure it must be a guy -, “we weren’t here to make friends.”

There’s a small tug at Raeken’s lip, like he’s amused at that idea. It vanishes as fast as it had come and he looks other at the trio. “I have what we needed,” he announces, lifting his free arm and revealing a roll of papers, “let’s get out of here.”

The smallest of the masked people keeps looking at Liam, making him feel an additional shiver to the cold coming from the ice. So far he hadn’t even fully felt _that,_  too overwhelmed by the situation as a whole. Now it starts _hurting_.

He can’t tell what the trio’s reaction is to being ordered around by Raeken, but when he next looks up they’re already gone. His powers don’t work like this - it’s the reason for Raeken stealing the gun in the first place. Cold doesn’t just _stop_ him, it keeps him from using his powers altogether. His legs are literally _frozen_.

He reaches up to his comms - thank _God_ Raeken hadn’t hit his arms - and turns them on. “Guys, I’m-- Raeken’s shot at me. I can’t _move_.”

There’s a tumult at the other end of the line, Stiles and Scott’s voices loud and overlapping in a manner that he can’t pick them apart. His stomach hurts at the exposure to the ice now, legs nothing more than a low thumbing anymore. He’s _freezing_ them off.

Then, from one second to the other, there’s heat radiating from his chest, burning against the cold feeling. The ice is melting as the warmth spreads out to his toes and Liam can’t help but be surprised. “Woah, what’s that?”

“Little something I added after the last time,” Stiles answers lightly. “You’re welcome.”

He doesn’t even have the time to reply something but is cut off by Scott. “Raeken _shot_ at you? Why’d he do that?”

“I don’t know,” Liam says grimly. “But I think Tara has some explaining to do.”

 

-

 

Tara looks almost innocent in the way she sits there, looking up at him with big eyes. Her brows are pulled together as she waits for the news about her brother. Liam’s still not sure about whether this is an act or not, but it could be that _she_ is legitimately scared for Raeken. Unaware of the heist he’s pulling.

“So, your brother’s not been kidnapped.”, he announces with a sigh as he enters the control room. At everyone’s surprised look he adds, “He actually seemed pretty friendly with those… people.” Thinking back to the ugly masks they wore, paired with the words pointed at Raeken, they still seem pretty creepy to _him_ \- though there’s a gap between many definitions for him and Raeken. He might just find them nice.

“People?”, Tara echoes, lifting an eyebrow. “What people?”

Liam shrugs. “I don’t know. Three people, wearing masks like they’re about to hit the next steampunk festival.”

He couldn’t have imagined Tara’s reaction. Her eyes grow even wider than they’d been and her mouth falls open, but at the same time she seems to shrink. “No,” she breathes. “He wouldn’t work with them.”

“Why? Who are they?”, Scott wants to know. He’s stayed in the background so far, arms crossed, but seeing the way she looks - legitimately scared if you ask Liam - he finally steps forward. His voice is quiet, careful and compassionate, as he asks her.

“The-- the Dread Doctors.”, Tara answers. She doesn’t look at any of them but at the wall. “He wouldn’t-- he-- he _hates_ them.”

Stiles has already manned the computers again, pulling up a profile onto the screen. There’s only a sketch of all three of them - not many details there. “That’s all we got on them. Gruesome group of people. Call themselves the Dread Doctors but each of them has their own codename--”

“Surgeon, Pathologist and Geneticist.”, Tara adds, her voice still hollow. “They’re _horrible_ people. If you can classify them as such.”

“Most well-known for Beacon’s number one drug supply from outside the city. Armed robbery, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon--”, Scott reads aloud. “ _Organ theft_.”

There’s a shudder going through the room at that. It takes a certain level of cruelty to rob someone of _a body part_ for your own profit. Usually, Liam would say it’s nothing that Raeken would participate in - yes, he’s killed people before, but only if they came between him and the thing he’s wanted to steal. He’s never _planned_ to kill anyone, but it was a casualty he’s accepted. Until they’d struck their deal and one of Liam’s conditions had been that he wouldn’t kill people, no matter what. But ever since the metahumans have showed up, things have gone more and more crazy and it’s become hard to tell which criminal’s gonna stay in their lane.

“You and your brother are both criminals.”, he tells Tara. “Why should we believe you?”

Tara doesn’t just look unsure how to answer but _scared_. Like the words alone could hurt her. But then, she finally sits up again and pulls her shirt aside, showing an ugly scar on her chest. “They gave it to me.”, she says with a tremor in her voice. “When I was a kid.”

“You knew them when you were _kids?_ ”, Scott asks.

“When-- when we first got into… business, they’ve practically taken Theo under their wing,” she starts. Her eyes are still big and scared as she talks. “Educated him - in biology _and_ crime, taking him on heists and… well, living with them wasn’t the most comfortable but it was a place to stay. Until it got _dangerous_.”

Their eyes are practically glued to her lips as she speaks. She doesn’t need to go into detail - with what they’ve just read about those _Dread Doctors_ and the placement of her scar, just above the heart… it doesn’t leave much room for speculation.

“Don’t tell me they tried to take your--” Stiles can’t even finish the sentence. The whole thing is too cruel. Even if Raeken’s been a kid himself back then, he wouldn’t have stayed with someone he didn’t trust to at least a certain amount. And what came then is so much worse than mere betrayal.

“It was the last straw for Theo. I don’t know how he did it but-- he got me out of there.”, Tara continues. “And then we ran from them.” She looks directly into Liam’s eye at that, the glance itself conveying a message. If all that she says is true, then there’s no way Raeken would work with them. “If he’s with them, it’s _trouble_. You need to find out what’s _really_ going on. Please,” she finishes.

Liam doesn’t trust his voice, so he just nods.

 

-

 

“Back from the dead so soon, Liam?”, Raeken sneers, not even looking up from his food when Liam sinks down across from him.

The fact that he’s here at Sinema, his favourite bar, like on any other day, should probably be a sign that maybe he’s _not_ in trouble after all. Still, Liam remembers the fear clinging to Tara’s voice as she told them about the Dread Doctors and their history and the honesty in her eyes. There’s something they don’t see. Not yet.

“Why are you working with the Dread Doctors, Raeken?”, he says right away. “Tara told us you hate them.” Mentioning her might appall to his conscience.

“They’re practically family,” Raeken says pointedly. “You’d know how complicated those are, wouldn’t you?”

Liam ignores the snap at his own family. Instead, he decides to put pressure on it. Raeken hasn’t said that he does it voluntarily, so maybe Tara’s been right. “Let me help you.”

“Don’t waste your time trying to save people who don’t wanna be saved.”, Raeken says with a scoff. He pauses lightly and then, as if he could read Liam’s mind, he adds, “Don’t worry, I remember our deal. Nobody will die. And you leave me alone.”

“I can’t ignore this!”, Liam tells him. “I know you live by a code, but from what I’ve heard-- those Dread Doctors won’t give a shit about strangers dying. It’s their whole thing, isn’t it? I can’t let you help them.”

Theo gives him a long look. His eyes are small as he looks at Liam, almost appearing to be haunted, and his hair is unkempt for his standards. There _is_ something. And yet, he simply drawls, “Then everyone will know who the Flash is under his mask.”

“I don’t care,” Liam insists. “I’ll stop all of you.”

This time, Theo lets out a dry chuckle. He gets up from his seat and says, “We’ll see about that. Thanks for dinner.”

He must have sent the waitress back to the table while he left because when Liam wants to go after him he’s stopped by the bill being pointed at him. Well, that’s just grand.

 

-

 

The next morning, Liam’s barely arrived at the sight he’s been called to when Parrish already steps up to him. He’s yet to get used to Stilinski’s new partner but he can’t say seeing a young and fresh face isn’t welcome on some days.

Today, though, the news he brings him aren’t too pleasant. “We’ve got a victim of decapitalization. Perforation doesn’t look like it’s been done with any weapon I’m familiar with.”, he explains as they step up to where Stilinski’s standing next to the covered up body.

“Hope your breakfast wasn’t too elaborate,” Stilinski says as a way of greeting. “That’s ugly as hell.”

Liam just grimaces at that, bracing himself as Stilinski pulls away the sheet. And _yes_ , it is an ugly sight. The neck - the rest of it, anyway - of the guy is jagged, and the shreds of it covered in blood and what-not. “That-- that looks like an explosion.”

“What, a metahuman who can blow off heads?”, Parrish wants to know. His voice sounds a little to excited and he flushes under Stilinski’s glare. Parrish hasn’t been to the city for too long, so he’s still new to any kind of supernatural behaviour, even if it’s not exactly appropriate.

“Not necessarily,” Liam says. He reaches into his bag and pulls out one of the devices Stiles has built for the CCPD. It doesn’t take too long until it’s scanned the neck. “There’s traces of thermite.”

“Like a bomb?”, Parrish says. “Then why wasn’t the rest of the body blown off?”

“I don’t know.”, Liam admits. “Do you know yet who he is?”

“Name’s Josh Diaz. Kinda sketchy past, your typical tech guy - you know, opening safes - but apparently he’s connected to this freaky clan calling themselves--” _Don’t say it, Parrish._ “--the Dread Doctors.”

Liam can practically feel himself pale at that. “One second,” he says to Parrish, and then he waves Stilinski closer as he steps away.

With him being Stiles’ father, he’s in the loop about all the Flash business - _hell_ , he’d been the first one to find out who’s behind the mask. It’s safe to assume Stiles has discussed their latest problem with him. So once he’s sure Parrish won’t be able to listen in, Liam tells him, “I think that guy was part of Raeken’s crew.”

“What, you think Raeken put a bomb in him to keep him in line?”

Liam shakes his head. Last night, Raeken’s sounded like he still meant to uphold his part of the deal for the time being. “He wouldn’t do that. The Dread Doctors would, though.”

“So why’d Raeken still work with them? What about your deal?”, Stilinski frowns.

“Maybe he doesn’t have a choice.” Given all that they know, _that_ sounds like the most logical explanation. He’s being forced to work with them and Liam has an idea what must have happened--

“You think they put a bomb in him?”

“No, he’d just dig it out of himself if he had to. Someone else, though…”, Liam answers. “The one person Raeken cares about is his sister.”

 

-

 

There _is_ a bomb in Tara’s neck, as it turns out. Liam had called Stiles right away and told him to look for thermite under her skin - the result came away positive. It’s no surprise now that Raeken agreed on working with the Dread Doctors; with his sister’s life on the line, everything makes sense all of sudden.

“We need to hold the bomb still,” Scott says as they lean over Tara’s shoulder, trying to locate it with a magnet. “Once you’ve done that, Flash, I can surgically excise it.”

Liam’s just about to nod when Stiles suddenly comes running into the room, arms in the air as he shouts. “STEP AWAY FROM THAT NECK!”

Out of reflex, both Liam and Scott follow suit. It’s best to trust one another in moments like this, but it doesn’t keep them from frowning at him.

“That bomb’s _really_ concentrated,” Stiles says. “It's gonna combust if it's exposed to magnetic friction and an oxidant.”

Tara shoots a quizzical look at Liam, voice more than alarmed as she asks, “What is he _talking_ about?”

“Air,” Liam breathes as he drops the magnet finally. “Uh, the bomb will explode if it… comes in contact with air.”

Miraculously, Tara barely looks surprised. “Well, that’s… of course. Of course it does.”

“Don’t worry, Tara.”, Scott says, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure something out.”

Then he lets go again, and the three of them step out of the room to talk about how to go on. It really would have been too easy, wouldn’t it?

“What if I extract it with my speed?”, Liam wants to know. Maybe he could create a vacuum around it - or get rid of it before the _device_ notices it’s out. He should be faster than a bomb, shouldn’t he?

“Too risky,” Stiles shakes his head. He’s biting his lip in thought. “Look, I’ll figure something out. I just need more time.”

“Well, we need to keep an eye on the Dread Doctors in the meantime.”, Scott sighs. “But we have no idea what they’re after, so…”

“Maybe I can get them to tell me.” The words are out of Liam’s mouth before he can stop them. The idea’s only just come to him, but it’s taken the shape of a plan right away. “Look, their tech guy is dead. They’re gonna need a new one, and that’ll be me. I’ll infiltrate their crew.”

Scott frowns at him. “I don’t like that idea… I mean, they’re _dangerous._  And you want to go and pretend you’re a criminal?”

“Someone _needs_ to be there. And it’s best if it’s me. How hard can that be?”

 

-

 

“These visits are getting old.”, Raeken says as soon as Liam’s stepped up to him. “I told you I don’t need saving.”

“Your sister does, though.” And even though he’s putting on his tough act, Liam feels like Raeken does leave them bread crumbs. Why else would he use his Cold Gun in his own warehouse, if not to give them a possibility to locate him? It’s as much as he can openly do. “I know they put a bomb in Tara. They said they’d kill her if you didn’t help them, didn’t they? We’re working on getting it out--”

He’s cut off by the echo of steps again. You’d think that for criminals, the Dread Doctors would get boots that are more quiet, but maybe that’s an intimidation tactic as well.

This time it’s the smallest one who speaks up. They tilt their head as they take in Liam’s figure, and then carefully, they ask, “Who is this?” Distorted voice again, but this one is female.

“I, uh-- Theo’s told me you need new tech.”, Liam says before Raeken can blow his cover. “I’m Noah, hey.”

Another doctor looks at Raeken. “This kid can open a Draycon keypad?”

“Uh, I did help Theo steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond from Beacon Hills Museum last year,” Liam says quickly. Technically, he’s been there to _stop_ him from doing that, but the theft had still made the news. Maybe he can use it to his advance right now. “That was locked up behind an AmerTek Industries Phase-3 Suppression Door with a Draycon XL-1218 keypad.” He looks at Raeken for support.

For a long moment, the other just stares at him. Then, grimly, he finally says, “Couldn’t have done it without him.”

Liam lets out a breath at that. He’s expected Raeken to put up more of a fight. Even if he’s willing to accept his help after all, he probably won’t be too much of a fan of Liam coming along to a heist. After all, Raeken’s known for his plans - and Liam showing up can’t have been in it. That he’s willing to trust him know… well, it says a lot about his love for his sister.

The Dread Doctors all look at him then, still trying to figure out if they could have him tag along. He feels himself shiver slightly under their gaze, though, he can’t even see their expressions. The masks alone are creepy enough.

Then, finally, their leader speaks up. “Then let’s get going. We’re on a tight schedule.”

 

-

 

Nemeton. That’s where they are. And maybe Liam should’ve already known that. It’s one of the biggest factories in Beacon Hills, focusing on psychotropic drugs where Deaton’s all for painkillers and the like. If the heist didn’t take place there, then it only makes sense that it’s _here._

The Dread Doctors’ plan is surprisingly easy: Liam and Raeken are to pretend they’re cleaning staff and take out the security at the entrance so that they could slip in. Liam guesses it would be even easier if they’d take off their masks to follow the act as well, but he supposes that especially around a new guy they don’t wanna lose their image.

If he were anyone else, Liam wouldn’t know how they could pull that off without really killing the guys. Being the Flash though, means he can catch the bullets Raeken shoots at them _and_ knock them out before the Dread Doctors notice he’s moved. A short glance exchanged with Raeken was enough to understand they’re following the same plan.

“Well done, Theo,” the female Doctor says and even though her voice isn’t clear, Liam’s able to spot the exaggerated sweetness in it. It makes him sick to hear that tone; he can only imagine the way they used it to manipulate and shape Theo when he was a young boy seeking approval.

And Raeken may look stoic right now, but there’s something in his face reacting to the words.

Of course, those weren’t the only guards in the place. As soon as they step into the next corridor, they can hear someone walk through it around the corner, chatting lightly as they make their way down there.

“I got it,” Liam says quickly, pulling out his phone. He holds it next to the corner so that he can check who’s there. “It’s two guards. Armed men.”

Raeken scoffs. “Guess your timing didn’t work out after all.”, he tells the Dread Doctors. There’s a certain annoyance written into his features, telling Liam that it must be an ongoing point of discussion.

“We have a plan B,” one of the male Doctors - the one with the Jason mask - says dismissively. He’s reaching for something into his pocket and Liam’s not surprised at all when he pulls out another gun.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’ve always needed one.”

Their leader grows impatient. He clicks his tongue - a disastrous sound with the voice distorter turned on - and says, “Yes, but your sister turned out to be a disappointment also.”

Liam can sense that it might get heated here soon - the whole situation shows that when it comes to his sister, Theo abandons all logic. So having her be insulted… No, he must distract them.

In a second, he’s run into the corridor and knocked out those guards as well. Neither of the group has noticed his movement.

“What do you say we get on with the job?”, he says quickly. “Guards are gone. They must have taken a break or something.”

He knows he’s cut off Raeken’s answer, so he isn’t surprised to find his eyes narrowed at him. “Yeah, must have.”

Since they’re oblivious to who he is, the Dread Doctors accept it as lucky fate. They carry on through the corridor until they end up in a dead-end.

“So, Noah,” the leader says, “show us what you’ve got.”

As it turns out, the passage ends in the safe they need to have opened. Stepping up to it, Liam can only be relieved that it really is a simple padlock - nothing more than a code to enter. He’s tried out an impossible number of them and found the right one before a minute was over, thanks to his speed.

He grins as he steps back from the door, “I told you Draycon was my jam!”

“Nice job, Noah.”, Jason-Mask-Doctor says with a nod. It sounds like everything _but_ a compliment.

In the same moment, he sees the female Doctor take out her gun, pointing it directly at him. Without much notice, she fires.

If he were a normal human, he would be dead now. It’s almost amazing how she’d have hit his heart without much aiming. But he’s caught the bullet soon enough and dropped himself to the ground. Having them think he’s dead gives him the opportunity to change into his Flash gear - as a civilian, he hasn’t had a chance to talk to Stiles and Scott.

Still, he’d planned to be watching them the whole time; it hadn’t been the plan that they pull the heist today, and it certainly hadn’t been the plan to get murdered. He can’t have them finish the job - what’s to say they won’t blow up Tara as soon as they got what they want?

His mind is racing so much, he almost misses the low, “Sorry, Liam,” that Theo lets out before he follows the Doctors into the safe.

As soon as they’re around the corner, Liam gets up from the floor, racing to change into his suit. He turns on the comms right away. “Stiles, how are things with Tara?”

“Kinda in the middle of it, buddy!”, Stiles answers. He sounds stressed as he yells his answer, apparently _literally_ in the middle of it.

“Alright,” Liam says. “We need the bomb out. The heist is going down _right this second._ ”

“Give me a minute!”, Stiles answers.

From inside the safe, there’s the sound of something shattering. They don’t _have_ a minute. Unless Liam can _distract_ them.

He arrives just in time for one of the Doctors - he’s not sure which of the guys - says, “Okay, let’s get outta here.”

“The only place you’re going is Iron Heights.”, Liam tells them. His sudden appearance makes them turn around and he’s pretty sure they would actually look surprised if he could see their faces. It’s good, it means that maybe they’re willing to join the conversation and thus give Stiles more time.

“Tell me, what kinda people are you to put a bomb in the girl you _raised_?”, Liam continues. It might be too late to appeal to their reason, but it’s a way of keeping them distracted.

“Very rich people.”, the female Doctor answers with a gleeful chuckle.

The leader nods to the side and orders, “Shoot him, Theo.”

Theo does lift his gun, but he doesn’t pull the trigger yet. He must have a sense for what’s happening right now - either that or he simply doesn’t want to shoot at him, period.

“Kill him or you’ll never see your sister again.”, the other Doctor adds. He’s pulling out some kind of device, pressing down on it with his thumb. The remote for the bomb.

Liam can’t help but close his eyes at that, awaiting just… _something._  There’s so much that could happen in the next moment. He could hear the bomb going off in his ear, Raeken could finally give in and shoot him again, though this time fatally…

“I GOT IT!”

Immediately, Liam raises his hands. “Tara’s safe!”, he shouts at Theo.

It should be enough to make him drop the gun, to finally stop this madness and get the Doctors into prison-- Again, Raeken excels at surprising him. Somehow, he doesn’t just pull off changing directions so fast that Liam’s barely seen it, but he also manages shooting at three people before he can step in.

The next moment, all of the Dread Doctors have a spear of ice in their chests.

Raeken looks down at them, almost petrified at the sight, and he doesn’t even look up when Liam steps closer carefully. He doesn’t even hold the gun anymore; it just rests in his hands and Liam can take it away easily.

“Tara was safe,” he says again, his own voice soft. “Why’d you do that?”

Theo looks up at him with something in his eyes that Liam can’t read. It certainly isn’t happiness. “They hurt my sister, it’s only safe I hurt them, too.”

 

-

 

They’re in the forest again. The same place that they had struck their deal almost a year ago. It hadn’t even been a conscious decision to bring Theo here but he supposes it makes sense - it’s better to release him in darkness rather than plain sight.

He had already been on his way to be locked up in the metahuman wing of Iron Heights, given his genius intellect. It’s the only kind of cell he won’t break out that easily. But then, he had been freed before any of that happened.

 _God_ , if that won’t be thrown back at Liam. Next to the Flash, Peek-A-Boo would be the only person capable of getting him out of there that fast. And as far as he knows, Erica is at the other side of the country.

It’s been a shortcut reaction, caused by Liam’s quick thinking - he’s played over and over just what could go wrong inside the prison. He hasn’t even asked anyone - not Scott, not Stiles and not Mason - about what to do. This is his own decision, something that he might come to regret. Right now, though, he decides as he pulls off his cowl, he can’t help but think he did the right thing.

“Look at that: the Flash disobeying the law.”, Raeken says smugly. He’s standing across from him, where Liam’s let go off him, and looking at him in a curious way, eyebrows drawn together in expectancy. “Pulling me out of hell, I wonder why that is.”

Liam recognizes the question wrapped into his words. To Raeken, it must look like he’s planning on asking him for something. It would make sense, given their roles in this world, but it’s not like he broke him out of prison just because he felt like it.

“You killed the Dread Doctors,” he says seriously. Raeken doesn’t reply, just tilts his head a bit to tell him to continue. “Half the people in there were dependent on their supplies.”

There’s a slight change on his face at that, the smirk in place growing wider and looking almost… honestly delighted. “Aw, you were worried about me.”

“I don’t want your blood on my hands,” Liam decides. He was the one to bring him there in the first place and when the realization dawned on him - about what could be happening, what Theo _had done_ \- he had felt sick. Naturally, prison isn’t supposed to be the happiest place, but it shouldn’t be somewhere you could face abuse any second either. If not worse. Raeken’s ruined the business for many, whether ongoing or future ones, and he can only imagine how their fury portrays itself in the end.

“Liam.” His voice is careful around the name, enjoying that he _knows_ who’s in the suit, and Liam can’t say it doesn’t have an effect on him. At first, it had been kind of thrilling, if not scary, that a bad guy knew his identity. But then again… that’s not who he fully is, is it? Raised under the wrong circumstances, but with the right motivation… “ _I_ killed them. It would only be fair if I got the punishment for that.”

Despite himself, Liam scoffs. “It wouldn’t be because you _killed_ them. It would be because of ruined drug deals.”

“My,” Raeken says slowly, stepping forward. It’s a careful, smooth step, and yet the distance between them grew so much smaller out of sudden. Any closer and Theo would feel the electricity pulsing through his veins. “You sound almost like you _care_ , Flash.”

“Of course I care,” Liam says immediately. “It’s not like you deserve to—“

“Die?”, Theo finishes, his voice sober for the moment. “There’s plenty states where it’s still an eye for an eye, you know that?”

Liam suppresses a shiver at that. The idea that if they were in any other state - if he had stayed in California and all this would happen there - he would have had to face the idea of Theo _legally_ being executed. It’s fucked up. He doesn’t have the time to dwell on that, so he shakes his head. “If anything, _you_ have given the punishment earlier.”

Theo looks almost amused by that sentence. “It wasn’t _my_ revenge.”, he says then. It’s amazing how fast his voice switches between a suggestive tone and seriousness. He sounds almost hurt as he speaks, like the memory of what he and, most of all, his sister have gone through is impossible to stomach.

“I know.” It’s all that Liam can say about that. He can’t even begin to understand what Theo must be feeling right now. Even with everything going on, the Dread Doctors were the people who raised him - they only adults he’s had to look up to during his childhood, no matter how awful they had been.

On a whim, he reaches out and places his hand on Theo’s elbow. They’re much closer now, only a few inches between them, and Liam’s not sure if he regrets the movement or not. It’s certainly not the closest they’ve ever been, but never under circumstances like this. It’s fights usually, a heat-of-the-moment development, and completely different from this almost _tender_ moment right now.

For once, Theo seems to feel the same uncertainty. His face is almost soft as he eyes Liam’s hand, almost looking like he’s genuinely baffled by his gentleness. Liam can’t blame him; usually he’s not exactly calm.

“There’s good in you.”, Liam hears himself say. He’s had the same thought often but he’s never said it out loud. His friends would have laughed at him for being too naive and he’s _never_ planned on telling Raeken. Not because he could already picture his reaction - furious at being painted as _soft_ \- but because of his own mortification. It’s almost like admitting you’ve grown to _like_ someone.

Miraculously, Theo just clicks his tongue accompanied with an eyeroll. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

And maybe he is. Maybe it _is_ ridiculous to think that someone who’s spent such a big time of his life in the darkness could become anything light. But he can’t help but hope that maybe… The love he has for his sister is sign of that, Liam is sure. “I’m not,” he finally says.

He can see Theo opening his mouth to reply, slow to his eye, and even if he is technically able to stop time now (well, almost) it’s never really helped his impulsiveness. He should be able to think about things now, to make intelligent decisions, but no.

He makes another step forward, until he’s pressed against Theo’s body, moving slowly enough to give him a chance to back away. A second later, he’s captured the other’s lips with his own.

There’s something said about kisses being like fireworks. It’s something else when you are literally sparkling of electricity sometimes and the other guy has a weapon specifically suited for hurting _you_. Any moment now, Theo will load it up and shoot him. It will only take the surprise to draw from his features and then…

_He’s kissing him back._

Ever since he got his powers, it’s become almost impossible to catch Liam off guard. And yet, he’s never have seen it coming - until Theo’s free hand is placed against his cheek and holding him close.

It’s a surprise with the ongoing tension between them that the kiss is almost _chaste._  But then, given the current situation, it might make sense. Liam wouldn’t say he’s desperate, but finally doing this _has_ been caused by trying to show Theo that he’s worth more than he thinks.

Neither of them is breathless when they part, but Theo’s voice is raw. “Well, it’s good to know I didn’t just see things here.”, he says with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Please leave a comment!**  
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